Sky Mountain Park Resource Management

RESTORATION EFFORTS UNDERWAY IN BRUSH CREEK VALLEY
Between Brush Creek and Brush Creek Road is an old agricultural field now dominated by non-native grasses and weeds, though it was historically dominated by sagebrush. The area, with clay-rich soils, is the focus of a sagebrush restoration study that began in 2020 and will last for several years.

The overall goal is to develop a successful restoration strategy (one that is not dependent on intensive applications of herbicide) to help transition old pasture lands to a sagebrush and native plant community. The study uses test plots to evaluate several restoration methods simultaneously, and included research, literature reviews, and analysis for feasibility and scalability.

Open Space and Trails is studying three seeding/planting methods across 12 test plots, with and without irrigation and fencing, to determine the most effective sagebrush restoration method. OST is prioritizing non-chemical methods and the use of hand-collected local sagebrush seed to maximize long-term ecological health and resilience of the system. Find out more.

Annual monitoring and analysis continues in order to evaluate short-term and long-term success across the treatments. Results will be used to inform larger-scale restoration efforts in this area and shared to inform regional sagebrush restoration science.   

Brush Creek pond riparian restoration
This riparian restoration project is reclaiming two former agricultural ponds that were abandoned and dominated by bare ground and invasive plants. It seeks to reclaim land in poor condition and to connect the existing sagebrush and riparian ecosystems into the pond restoration areas with native vegetation.

After thorough planning and design, implementation began with regrading in spring 2020, followed by native seeding, restoration planting (pictured below), wildlife protection fencing and temporary irrigation. The resulting restored area contains diverse vegetative zones with upland plants (sagebrush, serviceberry, lupine, etc.) on the hillside, riparian plants like willow and twinberry around the margins, and a bio-designed wetland swale that uses the outflow from a nearby ditch system to sustain sedges and rushes before flowing into Brush Creek.